Ribbon conductor press seal structure

ABSTRACT

A lead-in conductor assembly for electric lamps is detailed. The lead-in conductor assembly comprises wire-type lead-in connected to opposite ends of ribbon-type lead-ins, with the ribbon-type lead-ins longitudinally spaced from one another in the direction which generally parallels the wire-type lead-in portion. This arrangement allows for more efficient heat dissipation within a small cross-sectional press-seal.

United States Patent Martin 1 1 Aug. 1, 1972 [54] RIBBON CONDUCTOR PRESS SEAL STRUCTURE [72] Inventor: Jack Martin, Paramus, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation,

Pittsburgh, Pa.

22 Filed: Nov. 4, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 86,845

[52] US. Cl. ..3l3/222, 313/332, 313/315 [51] lnt.Cl ..ll0lj 5/50 I [58] Field of Search ..l74/50, 64; 287/189, 365; 313/222, 223, 315, 331, 332

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,466,489 9/1969 Audesse et a1. ..3l3/3l5 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 863,692 1/1953 Germany ..313/332' Primary Examiner-Roy Lake Assistant Examiner.lames B. Mullins Att0rneyA. T. Stratton, W. D. Palmer and D. S. Buleza [57 ABSTRACT A lead-in conductor assembly for electric lamps is detailed. The lead-in conductor assembly comprises wire-type lead-in connected toopposite ends of ribbon-type lead-ins, with the ribbon-type lead-ins longitudinally spaced from one another in the direction which generally parallels the wire-type lead-in portion. This arrangement allows for more. efficient heat dissipation within a small cross-sectional press-seal.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures RIBBON CONDUCTOR PRESS SEAL STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Electric lamps which utilize a press-seal at one end of the lamp are well known in the art. Refractory metal ribbon conductors are vacuum sealed through the press. A common practice has been to symmetrically dispose the ribbon conductors in a side-by-side relationship in the press-seal. For lamps with a small diameter tubular envelope, and a correspondingly small overall press-seal dimension, high current loadings for this conventional ribbon seal structure presents a heat dissipation problem. A variety of heat dissipating means have been provided for minimizing this problem. The problem is particularly acute for the smaller diameter lamps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION formed of the same material as the envelope 12. A plurality of refractory metal lead-in conductor assemblies 16 are sealed within the press 14. The. lead-in assemblies are typically formed of molybdenum and comprise ribbon-type lead-in conductors l8 and wire-type P lead-in conductors 20-22 extending from opposite ends of the ribbon-type lead-ins 18. The wire-type leadin conductors 20 which extend into the lamp are electrically connected to an incandescible'coil 24, formed of tungsten, and substantially centrally disposed within the lamp. The wire-type lead-in conductors 22 which extend outwardly from the press are adapted to be connected to a potential source via a conventional base 4 element. The improved structure comprises disposing.

the ribbon-type lead-in conductors within the pressseal in an offset, spaced, tandem'relationship, wherein the ribbon-type lead-ins are longitudinally spaced from one tained between the opposite lead-in conductor assemblies. The ribbon conductors may be laterally spaced as well, or can be broadened in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the wire-type lead-ins and toward the other lead-in conductor assembly to optimize the conductor size with respect to the pres-seal dimension. This structure provides for a greater capacity for heat dissipation, and a correspondingly higher current rating for a lamp with a given-press-seal crosssectional area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view partly in section of a lamp having improved press-seal structure.

FIG. 2 is a view in section of the seal structure shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view partly in section of a lamp with another embodiment of the improved pressseal structure.

FIG. 4 is a view in section taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT another in a direction which generally parallels the wire-type lead-in portions. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the ribbon-type lead-ins are also laterally spaced from the center line of the press-seal.

Another view of the press-seal structure is shown in FIG. 2 which is taken along the line ll-ll of FIG. 1. The press-seal structure 14 has an I configuration with the lead-in conductor assemblies 16 generally centrally disposed in the cross member of the I.

As an example of the typical dimensions for the in proved press seal structure, for a 500 watt lamp which has approximately a- 10 millimeter outside diameter envelope, the outside dimension of the I structure of the press is also approximately 10 millimeters. The molybdenum ribbon conductors are approximately 7 millimeters long by 3 millimeters wide and about 0.04 millimeter thick. The thickness of the I member press at its ends is approximately 3.5' millimeters. The central cross-sectional portion of the I member press is approximately 6.5 millimeters by about 2.5 millimeters. The entire press seal has a length of about 20 millimeters. The spacing between the ribbon conductors is such that distance from the bottom edge of the most inwardly disposed ribbon to the top edge of the other ribbon is approximately I millimeter, and the spacing of the inside edge of the inwardly most ribbon conductor to the inside edges of the other conductors is about 1.5 millirneters. These dimensions are given by way of example for a specific embodiment of the present invention,

and the invention is not limited thereto.

In another embodiment. of a single-ended tungstenhalogen lamp of the present invention as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the width of the I member press is about 13 millimeters, and the central cross portion of the I member is about 10 millimeters. The ribbon-type leadin conductors 18 are 7 millimeters long by S millime-.

and lamp. Viewed in cross-section, the ribbons overlap in this central portion of the press, and thus a higher current density per unit area has been made possible. The ribbon type lead-ins in this embodiment are broadened in 'the direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the wire-type lead-ins and toward the other lead-in conductor assembly to optimize the conductor size with respect to the press-seal dimension to achieve heat dissipation.

The invention has been particularly described with respect to single-ended tungsten-halogen lamps but is not to be limited thereto, as other electric lamps using press-seals wherein the invention has application are well known.

I claim:

1. A' single-ended tungsten-halogen incandescent lamp comprising a generally tubular envelope of vitreous,light-transmissive material, a press-seal structure at one end of said lamp, two broad-width refractory metal ribbon conductors each of which carries the fullload current of said lamp, said ribbon conductors vacuum sealed within said press, electrical lead-in conductors extending from each end of said ribbon consaid lamp and electrically connected to opposite ends of an incandescent coil substantially centrally disposed within said lamp, the remaining of said lead-in conductors extending outwardly from said press are adapted to be connected to a potential source, the improvement comprising disposing said two broad-width, full-load current-carrying ribbon conductors within said pressseal of said tungsten-halogen lamp, and disposing said broad-width ribbon conductors in an otT-set, spaced, generally tandem relationship, thereby permitting a higher current rating for said lamp. 7

2. The combination as specified in claim I, wherein said ribbon conductors are sufficiently broad to partially overlap one another in the direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of said wire-type leadin portions to enhance the heat-dissipating characteristics thereof.

3. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said ribbon conductors are laterally spaced from the center line of the press-seal.

I I I! 

1. A single-ended tungsten-halogen incandescent lamp comprising a generally tubular envelope of vitreous, light-trAnsmissive material, a press-seal structure at one end of said lamp, two broad-width refractory metal ribbon conductors each of which carries the full-load current of said lamp, said ribbon conductors vacuum sealed within said press, electrical lead-in conductors extending from each end of said ribbon conductors, two of said lead-in conductors extending into said lamp and electrically connected to opposite ends of an incandescent coil substantially centrally disposed within said lamp, the remaining of said lead-in conductors extending outwardly from said press are adapted to be connected to a potential source, the improvement comprising disposing said two broad-width, full-load current-carrying ribbon conductors within said press-seal of said tungsten-halogen lamp, and disposing said broad-width ribbon conductors in an off-set, spaced, generally tandem relationship, thereby permitting a higher current rating for said lamp.
 2. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said ribbon conductors are sufficiently broad to partially overlap one another in the direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of said wire-type lead-in portions to enhance the heat-dissipating characteristics thereof.
 3. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said ribbon conductors are laterally spaced from the center line of the press-seal. 